


Still the same water

by nitorisource



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-18
Updated: 2014-09-18
Packaged: 2018-02-17 20:48:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2322680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitorisource/pseuds/nitorisource
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing but a simple conversation between two people still in Iwatobi, though Makoto thinks he can feel the knot in his chest loosening with every small, quiet word Sousuke offers during this otherwise lonely morning.</p><p>Or, Makoto and Sousuke run into each other while the other two are in Australia and nothing extraordinary happens but at the same time this is something new and needed for both of them (´‿`✿)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still the same water

**Author's Note:**

> still feelin rly sad inside i wrote this just to make myself fee l a little better hah ha ha

Every now and then, as Makoto jogs down the path beside the beach, he glances out towards the ocean. And he wonders about Haruka, unsurprisingly, though he is trying his best to get his mind focused instead on putting one foot in front of the other. Even if their morning jobs always consist of more shared silence than conversation, it’s worlds lonelier without the other set of feet running beside him, and he slows his pace down as he allows his thoughts to spiral downwards for a few moments.

Absorbed with the heavy feeling in his chest, he doesn’t notice the other person stopped panting beside a lamp post just up ahead, and as Makoto gets closer he recognizes the person.

Without thinking, he calls out, “Yamazaki-kun?” and Sousuke turns around slowly at the sound of his name, eyebrows lifting with silent surprise. He doesn’t look particularly happy to see Makoto, but he’s not entirely displeased either so the brunet steps closer and his features lift with a friendly smile.

“Morning, Tachibana,” he says, wiping at his forehead with his sleeve.

“Did you jog all the way out here from your house?” Makoto asks, recalling he lives somewhere near Rin, which isn’t exactly nearby.

“Uh, no.” He shifts on his feet as he answers, “I took the train here first.”

“Oh.”

Silence stretches out between them before Sousuke offers again, “I wanted to jog beside the ocean this morning, so…”

“I see.” They both slide their gaze towards the water, its dark waves hardly illuminated by the dim dusk light, and Makoto doesn’t have to ask to know that Sousuke is thinking about where his best friend must be at this moment as well, walking through the streets of a country halfway across the world. He purses his lips at the thought. It’s not that he’s upset that Haru’s gone, because he knows that whatever Rin has planned will do him good - it’s just that the way Haru lashed out and ran off that night, the last encounter they had before he left, has been playing on a loop through Makoto’s mind and forcing him to wonder whether what he ended up saying in a panic of the moment did anything to help ease his friend’s suffering.

“Is - is something wrong?” When Makoto notices the pair of teal eyes uninhibitedly looking him in the face, he glances down and wonders if he’s said something or done something to garner the inquisitive look directed to him, but Sousuke merely hums before turning away.

“You look upset. So you don’t actually smile twenty four seven, huh?” he asks with a playful and somewhat scathing tone, crossing his arms.

“Ah - I--” Makoto can’t help but allow his shoulders to sag more than before as he casts his eyes away. Sousuke is far more observant than he looks, apparently, unless Makoto’s facade really has been this transparent the entire time.

Sousuke gives him a sidelong glance, his brow quirking up, before he asks, “What, did you two have a fight or something?” and the way Makoto flinches is answer enough. Actually, Sousuke is a little surprised he hit the mark on the first try, but he really doesn’t know enough about Tachibana to think that anything _other than_ that best friend he’s devoted himself to could be the source of the serious, grim expression lurking just beneath Makoto’s normally friendly face.

The brunet’s timid gaze flicks up only to find Sousuke smirking at him, which baffles Makoto, and he’s about to open his mouth to offer a petty excuse when Sousuke says with a delicate shrug, “Look, it’s just a little fight. If you two are as close as you look then it’ll be no big problem. Rin and I fight all the time.”

Makoto lowers his eyes at those words and after a few moments, despite himself, he lets out airy laughter. Sure, there’s still a small, hollowed out section in his chest leftover from that night and how it ended since it was their first fight after all, but somehow Sousuke’s words are enough to smooth that ache over, even if just for now. “You’re much kinder than you seem, Yamazaki-kun.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he shoots back, lips turning down with discontent, which only serves to make Makoto laugh a little harder.

“Well, thank you. Really. I feel much better now,” Makoto says, sobering up as he realizes the blush that’s crept onto his cheeks for acting so downtrodden earlier.

“It’s not a big deal,” he answers. He stares back out at water, hardly able to make out where the foaming waves lap up against the shoreline, and rubs absentmindedly at his shoulder.

Makoto’s voice is sudden as he says, “I - your injury, are you--”

“It’s fine,” Sousuke says quickly at the sight of concern etched all over Makoto’s face. “It’s just my shoulder. I think I’m in good enough condition to go out for a little run without worrying.” Geez, did this guy ever bother taking a break from fretting over every person he comes across? Just a few moments ago, he was absorbed with his own conflict and suddenly that’s taken a back seat. Although, he has to admit, it is a little endearing and now Sousuke understands what Rin means when he talks about Tachibana Makoto; namely, how he has his moments of being too caring for his own good.

“So, are you… because of your shoulder…?” Makoto asks with trepidation. It’s not that he wants to pry into what might be a sensitive topic, but he’s concerned about what happened after the relay at regionals, how he watched the way Sousuke faltered during his leg of the race.

“Swimming might be out of the question for a while,” he says with a chuckle, glancing back at Makoto with a softened, eased expression.

“Ah,” is all Makoto mumbles sheepishly. He scratches his cheek lightly and tries to smile, a little embarrassed. He’s sure Sousuke doesn’t need anyone feeling sorry for him, especially not when he seems so content. The way he carries himself is different from before the relay, Makoto realizes, and he’s actually relieved to see how at peace Sousuke now is. It’s something he deserves.

Sousuke hums in response, a smile still tweaking at the ends of his lips. “Well, what about you? Still planning to swim after this?”

“I’m not sure, actually.” He hesitates before adding, “I’m going to a university in Tokyo.” Although the situation he’s in now is far more calm and quiet than the last time he uttered these words to another person, he still feels himself stiffen as he watches Sousuke’s reaction.

“That’s pretty far.”

“Yes.”

“I used to go to school there. It’s different from here.” He pauses, evaluating Makoto’s expression. “I’m sure you’ll like it.”

Makoto isn’t sure what else to do except offer another smile. For the first time in more than a few days, he feels himself begin to stir with something other than just worry or apprehension; instead, Sousuke’s words, no matter how casual they seem, make him feel more content. Maybe that’s what Makoto needs right now - something new, something that isn’t solely reminding him of life at the end of this summer.

**Author's Note:**

> so they end up jogging for a while together, enjoying having a new conversation partner and they both lowkey wonder why they didn’t speak earlier, until Makoto offers having breakfast since his place is literally right there and he’s supposed to try making pancakes for his siblings. They turn out terrible, and when Sousuke tries to show off (as though he’s any better, which he certainly is NOT) he ends up burning them and Ren and Ran get this awful first impression of Sousuke as they guy who almost set their kitchen on fire, so Makoto’s mom has to take over and she manages to pull together a decent breakfast.  
> Obviously, Haruka and Rin come back and are absolutely bewildered at the sight of Sousuke and Makoto suddenly so friendly and chatty uwu


End file.
